Electric-arc lamp.



No. 644,562. Patented Mar. 6,1900. T. E. ADAMS.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

(Application fled Aug'. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 544,562.A Patented Mar. 6, |900. T. E. ADAMS.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

(Application led Aug. 16, 1899.) (N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

' N [VITA/'ESSE NVENTOR Allorney w: mams PETERS co mow-urna, wAsHmcTuN. u. c,

TQ E. ADAMS.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

(Application led Aug. 16, 1899.)

No. 644,562. Patented Mar. 6, |900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

vm; wams PETERS co4 How-nwo., wAsnmc'roN. n4 c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS. EDGAR ADAMS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,562, dated March 6, 1900.

Application led August 16, 1899. Serial No. 727,382. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, THouAs EDGAR ADAMS, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Arc Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in electric-arc lamps, and more particularly to such as are adapted for operation with alternating electric currents, one object of the invention being to simplify the construction of electric-arc lamps of the class specified.

Afurther object is to so construct an alternating-current electric-arc lamp as to reduce the ill effects of vibration of the parts to a minimum.

A further object is to provide simple and efficient means for insuring the accurate operation of the clutch.

A further object is to improve the construction and arrangement of various parts of the lamp.

A further object is to provide improved means for elasticall y mounting the regulatormagnet within the casing of an alternatingcurrent electric-arc lamp.

A further object is to improve and simplify the construction and arrangement of air-pots for electric-arc lamps.

A further object is to provide simple and efficient means for mounting` an inductive resistance in an alternating-current electric-arc lamp.

lVith these objects in view the invention consists in the combination, in an electric-arc lamp, of a carbon-guide, an air-pot in line therewith, a clutch, connections between the clutch and plunger of the air-pot, and means for operating said clutch.

My invention further consists in the combination, in an electric-arc lamp, of a carbonguide, an air-pot in line therewith, a clutchring, a rod connected with the plunger of the air-pot and adapted to resist the upward movement of the clutch, and means for first compressing air in the air-pot and subsequentlyactuating thc clutch to raise the upper carbon.

bination, in an electric-arc lamp, of a clutchring, a lifter' therefor, means for raising the lifter, an arm pivoted to the vlifter and bearing on the clutch-ring, an air-pot, and a rod connected with the plunger of the air-pot and resting on said arm; and my invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is' an elevation of a lamp embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view, partly in elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lamp. Figs. i and 5 are enlarged det-ail views showing the clutch devices. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are views illustrating certain details.

A represent-s the lamp-casing, made, preferably, of corrugated sheet-copper, circular in cross-section and having a flaring lowering end A anda flaring upper end A2. The upper edge of the portion A2 of the casing is provided with an outwardly-projecting annular flange 1, which constitutes a seat for a stout ring 2, preferably of cast metal.. The ring 2 is made angular in cross-section, having an upwardly-projectingY flange 3, provided in its inner face at intervals with notches at for the accommodation of clamps 5, attached to an inductive resistance 6. Felt 7 is disposed between the clamps and the core of the inductive resistance for the purpose ofl cushioning the support of the latter in the casing and for thoroughly insulating said resistance from the clamps and the casing. Each clamp is made with ribs 9 to enter the notches 4 in the ring 2, andeach rib is made with a shoulder 10 to reston the iiange 3 of said ring at the upper ends of the notches 4l. The inductive resistance will thus be supported firmly in the lamp-casing and prevented from possibility of lateral orrotary displacement. The horizontal portion of the ring 2 is provided with a series of bosses 11, on which a peripheral Vfiange 12 on a hood 13 IOO rests and to which said iange is secured by means of a series of screws 13. By securing the liange of the hood to the bosses on the ring2spaces will be left between said flange and ring for the admission of air, the admission of water being effectually prevented by the vertical liange 3 on said ring. The hood 13 is provided in its top with an opening 14, and over this opening a cap 15 is disposed. The cap 15 is provided on its under edge with lugs 17, which rest on the hood and form spaces between said cap and hood for the admission of air, and through said lugs fastening devices pass for securing the cap in place on the hood. The cap is provided with uprights 18 for the accommodation of an insulator 19 for the reception of means for suspending the lamp. Binding-posts 2O 2l are secured to and insulated from the cap at respective sides of the insulator 19 for the accommodation of the leading-in wires. A rod 22 is secured centrally to the cap 15, and depends therefrom through the hole 14 in the hood 13. The rod 22 is provided at its lower end with a head 23, disposed in a tubular extension 24 on the upper end of an air-pot 25. The lower end of the air-pot is internally threaded for the reception of a head 26, and the latter is secured to the upper end of a carbon-guide tube 27, located centrally within the casing. The tube 27 is slotted longitudinally for the accommodation of a binding-post secured to the upper-carbon holder 28, disposed within said tube. The carbonholder is provided with a body 28 of graphite toreduce friction of said carbon-holder within the tu-be 27. The lower end of the guide-tube is secured to a lug 29 on a ring 30, and the latter is secured to a disk of insulating material, which latter is secured to and supported by a perforated basin 32, disposed in the bottom of the casing and supported thereby. The basin is provided on its bottom with lugs 33, to which a reflector 34 is secured, said reflector also constituting a cover for the outer globe. Two depending arms 35 are secured to the basin and depend below the reflector 34, said arms being provided in their lower ends with threaded sockets for the reception of screws 36. pass through lugs or ears 37 at diametrioallyopposite sides of a circular plate 38, and beneath said ears thumb-nuts 39 are disposed on the screws for the purpose of supporting the plate 38 and also for securing the screws at different adjustments for a purpose which will be hereinafter made apparent.

The plate 38 is made with a central opening for the passage of a boss 40 of plate 46,

.through which pa'sses the upper carbon of the lamp and which constitutes a stop or rest for the clutch-ring.

A depending rod 4l (constituting the lamparm) is, secured to and electrically connected at its upper end with the plate 38, and at the lower end of said rod or lamp-arm 41 a holder 42 for the lower carbon of the lamp is secured.

The screws 36 An inner globe 43 incloses the lamp-arm 41 and the arc. The globe 43 may be made approximately oval in general form and having its lower contracted end closed and its upper end open. The lower contracted end of the globe 43 rests in the upper end of a conical convolute spring 44, and the latter is secured at its lower end centrally between the ends of a wire yoke 45. The upper ends of the arms of the yoke are pivotall y attached to the lower ends of the screws 36, and by means of these screws the tension of the spring, and consequently the pressure of the open upper end of the globe against its cover, can be readily adjusted. The cover for the arc-inclosing globe consists of an iron plate 46, secured to the plate 38 and insulated therefrom by means of a disk 47, preferably of asbestos. The plate or cover 46 is provided with an annular flange 48, which depends into the globe and serves to conduct heat from the inner face thereof at its open end for the purpose of reducing liability of the globe to break on account of the unequal temperatures of the inner and outer faces thereof.

The clutch-ring 49 normally rests (when the lamp is not burning) upon its flange or enlargement, and this flanged periphery of said ring is adapted to be engaged by a hook 50 at the lower end of a lifter 51, the latter being normally so disposedv that the hook will be disposed a short distance below the clutchring, thus necessitating a short upward movement of the lifter before the clutch-ring will be actuated. The lifter 51 is made with a tubular portion 52 for a purpose hereinafter described, and tothe upper end of said lifter one end of a short coiled spring 53 is attached, the other end of said spring being connected with the cores of the regulating magnets or solenoids 54. It is a matter of importance in the practical construction and operation of the lamp that the magnets or solenoids be so located within the lamp-casing that the cores will always be moved vertically and so that said cores will be exactly inline with the axes of the bobbin. For this reason I prefer to provide the bearings 55 on the inner wall of the easing (to which the supporting means for the magnets or solenoids is secured) with faces concentric with axis of the casing and to secure the supporting-bracket 56 to said curved bearing-faces, the bracket being made with bearing-faces to conform to the contour of the faces of the bearings 55. The bracket 56 consists of a vertically-disposed bar having horizontal arms 5-7 at its respective ends, and to each of said arms a flat spring 59 is secured centrally between its ends. Non-magnetic plates 60 are secured to the ends of the bobbins of the solenoids and connect them together, and each plate 60 is provided near its respective ends with lugs 61, (V-shaped in cross-section,) which constitute bearings for the solenoids against the ends of the flat springs 59. Lateral displacement and also possible escape of the solenoids from the springs 59 is proven t- IOO ed by means of screws 62, which pass freely through holes in said springs and enter the lugs 6l. In this manner the solenoids are accurately supported within the casing, and the fiat springs will serve to effectually take up vibration incident to arc-lamps operated with alternating currents. I have found in actual practice that decidedly-superior results are obtained by the use of flat springs for affording yielding supports for the regulator magnets or solenoids over the use of coiled springs, the latter in themselves being apt to vibrate bodily, and thus defeat the accurate operation of the delicate mechanism of the lamp, and also being liable to become more or less deteriorated and rendered incapable in a short time of performing the functions required of them, even when fairly-good results are attained when the lamp is first constructed.

Returning now to the clutch, attention is directed to an arm 63, which is pivotally attached at one end to the lifter 5l and provided with a hole 64, through which the upper carbon passes freely, said hole being made considerably larger than the diameter of the carbon, so that its walls will never engage the carbon at any time. The pivoted arm 63 is disposed directlyT over the clutch-ring and is adapted to bear at or near its free end upon the upper peripheral flange of the clutchring at a point opposite to that at which the lifter engages the clutch ring. A rod 65 passes freely through the tubular portion 52 of the lifter 5l and rests upon the arm 63 at at a point between the pivotal connection of the latter with the lifter and the hole 64:. The upper end of the rod 65 passes through a notch in the lower head of the air-pot and is bent inwardly and then upwardly to form an arm 66, disposed in line with the alined axesv wof the air-pot and the carbon-guide tube.

The upper end of the arm 66 of rod 65 is provided with a ball 67, having a loose bearing within the plunger 68 of the air-pot. The plunger comprises an annular body portion 69 and a graphite ring 70, encircling said body portion. The body portion of the plunger consists of a ring 69, having an annular inwardly-projecting perforated flange Z) and a disk c, having a centered hole d. The ball 67 is maintained loosely between the flange Z) and disk c. With this construction and arrangement of parts when the plunger is moved upwardly the ball 67 will be moved up slightly and made to close the hole d in the disk c and prevent the passage of air through the plunger, and thus the upward movement of the plunger will result in compressing air in the air-pot. W'hen the rod moves down, the ball 67 will leave the opening d in the disk c and air will pass through` said opening and the perforations f in the flange I), and thus permit the free descent of said plunger.

'A projecting finger 69 is formed on air-pot piston-rod 65 at the proper height to sustain the magnetc ores when they are at rest. Vhen the cores are energized, the yielding of spring 53 permits the cores to rise out of contact with the finger to prevent noise, but should rod 65 not move properly by reason of the piston sticking in the air-pot or other cause the magnet-cores will again come in Contact with the finger 69, and the ensuing sharp vibration will quickly free rod 65 from the bind and prevent continued imperfect working of the lamp.

A conductor 70 connects the binding-post 2O with one terminal of the solenoids, and the other terminal of the solenoids is connected with a switch-arm 7l by means of a conductor 7 2.k The switch-arm is mounted in a boss cast with the basin and is provided with a handle. A plate or strip 7 3 embraces the inner end of the switch-arm and is insulated therefrom, said plate carrying a binding-post to which the conductor 72 is secured. The plate or strip 73 on the switch-arm is adapted to engage contact-springs 74, secured to the basin and electrically connected with the negative-carbon holder through one of the depending arms or parts 35, the plate 38, and the rod or lamp-arm A1.

The binding-post 2l on top of the lamp is connected with the inductive resistance by means of a conductor 75, and said resistance is connected with the uppercarbon holder by means of a conductor 76.

The operation of the lamp is as follows: When current first enters the lamp, the solenoids will be energized and their cores will rise. The cores being connected with the lifter 51 through the medium of the spring 53 the first action resulting from the upward movement of the cores will be to raise said lifter until the hook 50 at the lower end thereof engages the peripheral flange of the clutchring, during which time the pivoted arm will also be raised and movement will be thereby transmitted to the rod and ultimately to the plunger of the air-pot, located directly over and in line with the axis of the carbon-guide tube. Thus it will be seen that the initial action in starting the lamp will be to compress air in the air-pot (the pivoted arm at the same time bearing firmly upon the free edge of the clutch-disk) and the vibration of the clutch will be reduced to a minimum. By compressing the air somewhat in the airpot before the clutch-disk is actuated to grip the carbon'the continued rise of the clutch device will be relieved of considerable vibration and the movement of said clutch devices will be steady. For these reasons and for the further reason that the pivoted arm will be continuously pressed upon the clutch-disk during its ascent to separate the carbons there will be no danger of the clutch-ring shaking loose and releasing its hold on the carbon when the upper carbon is raised to establish the arc, and hence the carbons will be effectually separated to start the lamp and the upper carbon will be prevented from shaking through the clutch, as is common in most lamps operating with alternating currents.

IIO

When the arc lengthens, the upper carbon will be fed down in the usual way by the tripping of the clutch-ring, said clutch-ring being always held steady by the action of the arm thereon.

Having fully'described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, of a carbon-guide, an air-pot disposed in line with the aXis thereof, a clutch, regulating means, and connections intermediate of the clutch, regulating means and the plunger of the air-pot.

2. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, of acarbon-guide, an air-pot in line therewith, a clutch, connections between the clutch and plunger of the air-pot and means for operating said clutch.

3. The combination in an electric-arclamp, of a carbon slotted guide-tube, an air-pot in line therewith, a clutch-ring, a rod connected with the plunger of the air-pot and adapted te resist the upward movement of the clutch and means for iirst compressing air in the airpot and subsequently actuating the clutch to raise the upper carbon.

4. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, oi aclutch-ring, a lifter therefor, means for actuating said lifter and an arm pivoted to the lifter and bearing upon the clutch-ring to prevent the same from vibrating.

5. The combination in an electric-aro lamp, or" a clutch-ring, a lifter therefor, means for raising the lifter, an arm pivoted to the lifter and bearing on the clutch-ring, an air-pot and a rodconnected with the plunger of the air-pot and resting on said pivot-ed arm.

6. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, of a clutch-ring, an air-pot, a rod connected with :the plunger of the air-pot and terminating over said clutch, a lifter having a hook at one end normally disposed a short distance below the clutch ring and adapted when raised to engage said clutch-ring after having first caused a compression of air in the air-pot.

7. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, of a clutch-ring, an air-pot, a lifter for the clutch-ring having a tubular portion, an arm pivoted to the lifter and bearing upon the clutch-ring, and a rod attached to the plunger of the air-pot, passing through the tubular portion of the litter and bearing upon the pivoted arm.

8. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination with a frame and a bracket secured thereto, of a spring secured between its ends to said bracket, and a regulator-magnet mounted on the ends of said spring.

9. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination with a casing and a clutch, of a bracket within the casing, two fiat springssecured between their ends to the ends of said bracket a regulator-magnet mounted between the ends of said springs.

` lunrer the other end of said rod terminat- P e y ing over the clutch.

l l. The combination in an electric-arc lamp, of a carbon-guide, an air-pot disposed in line with the axis thereof, a clutch, a plunger in `the air-pot, and a plunger-rod havinga ball- -and-socket connection with the plunger arlranged to resist the movements of the clutch.

l2; The combination of an air-pot, aplunger therein, said plunger having a compartment open at both ends, a rod entering one end of said compartment and a ball fixed to the end of the rod within said compartment, said ball being appreciably smaller than the compartment and adapted to move longitudinally therein to close the passage of air through the plunger.

13. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of a casing, a carbon-guide tube sec ured in the bottom thereof,an air-pot upon the carbonguide tube, a tubular extension of the airpot, a cap on the casing and a rod depending from said cap and having a head disposed within the casing.

I4. In an alternating-current electric-arc lamp, the combination with a casing, a ring at the upper end thereof having notches, an inductive resistance and clamps for said inductive resistance, said clamps having iianges to enter the notches in the ringand having shoulders to rest on said ring.

l5. In an electric-arc lamp the combination with a clutch and a lifter therefor, of two helices, a U-shaped laminated core having its respective arms entering the respective helices, each arm of said core inclosed in a sleeve which projects beyond the end of the same and a connection between the cross-bar of said U-shaped core and the clutch-lifter.

16. In an electric lamp, the combination with a casing, of a ring mounted upon said casing, said ring having a horizontal portion and an upright portion at the inner edge of the horizontal portion, lugs upon the horizontal portion, and a hood mounted upon said lugs-and encircling the upright member of the ring.

17. In an electric lamp, the combination with a casin g and a slotted guide-tube therein, of an upper carbon-holder within said tube and freely movable therein, said holder having an upwardly-projecting portion, a graphite body attached to said upwardly-projecting portion and bearing against the inner face of the slotted tube, and a conductor passing through the slot in the tube and electrically connected with the carbon-holder.

18. In an electric lamp the combination with a magnet, its armature and a clutch connected with the armature, of an air-pot, a rod IOO IIO

ngei on said rod disposed under said armature.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS EDGAR ADAMS.

Witnesses T. F. BEIDLER, WM. D. EsTEL. 

